Cranberry Fruit Salad
This is a delicious holiday-type salad that could also double as a fruit dessert. Also very easy to put together.
This is a delicious holiday-type salad that could also double as a fruit dessert. Also very easy to put together.
- Carbohydrate 34.616675 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 10.0922875 g
- Fiber 3.97050005316734 g
- Protein 1.9340375 g
- Saturated Fat 0.909785 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (145g)
- Sodium 13.0775 mg
- Sugar 30.6461749468327 g
- Trans Fat 0.56906625 g
- Calories 221 calories
Step-by-step
- Stir sauce.
- Sprinkle dry jello over sauce.
- Add remaining ingredients and stir.
- Put in bowl and chill.
Vibrant ruby gelatin holds suspended pieces of sharp red fruit, dense nut fragments, and pale tropical rounds within a chilled glass bowl. Molded fruit dishes featuring gelatin gained widespread popularity across American households during the mid-twentieth century, evolving from formal aspics into sweet, accessible side dishes and desserts that relied on newly abundant commercial convenience products. These preparations bridged the gap between savory salads and confections by combining preserved or canned fruits with sweetened gelatin bases, creating a standardized texture that required no cooking.
Achieving structural integrity in fruit-laden gelatin relies on careful liquid management, particularly when incorporating moisture-releasing ingredients like canned crushed pineapple and fresh bananas. Thoroughly draining the pineapple through a fine-mesh metal strainer prevents excess liquid from diluting the gelatin set, while tossing sliced bananas in an acidic medium or adding them just before final chilling prevents enzymatic browning. Stainless steel bowls conduct cold efficiently in a standard refrigerator set to 38 degrees Fahrenheit, ensuring the gelatin sets within two to four hours without developing ice crystals.
Pecans provide a necessary textural contrast against the soft fruits, though raw nut kernels benefit from a brief toast in a dry skillet over medium heat for five minutes to release their essential oils before chopping. Once toasted and cooled completely on a baking sheet, these nuts retain their crisp bite even when submerged in the hydrating matrix of gelatin and fruit juices.
Prepared mixtures can be held covered in the refrigerator for up to twenty-four hours before serving, though freezing is strictly discouraged because thawing causes the gelatin matrix to syneresis, weeping liquid and turning the crisp apples and tender bananas unpleasantly mushy.
